The present invention relates to a mounting assembly for mounting one or more antennae atop a vehicle or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a mounting assembly that minimizes or eliminates the need to create mounting apertures within the roof of the vehicle.
It is oftentimes desirable to mount one or more antennae or the like to the top of a vehicle or the like. For example, in a service business that dispatches service technicians in service vehicles, it may be that each service vehicle includes a communications device for effectuating communications between the technician(s) in the vehicle and a dispatcher or the like and a positioning device for determining the position of the vehicle and reporting same to the dispatcher or the like, and the technician(s) may each carry a panic device for being actuated in case of an emergency and for transmitting a panic alert to the dispatcher,or the like by way of the communications device of the vehicle. Further, it may be that each of the communications device, the positioning device, and the panic device has a separate associated antenna on the vehicle, and each antenna must be mounted to the top of the service vehicle.
However, it is to be appreciated that mounting each antenna directly to the top of the service vehicle can require that multiple apertures be created within the roof of such service vehicle for each antenna so that the antenna itself may be attached to the roof and so that a cable extending from the antenna to a corresponding device may be passed through the roof and to the device within the vehicle. As may be appreciated, such apertures may be created by drilling or other appropriate methods. If, for example, each of the three aforementioned antennae requires two apertures in the roof for mounting thereof and one aperture in the roof for the corresponding cable, a total of nine separate apertures are required. Significantly, each such aperture represents a significant risk of water leakage through the roof and into the vehicle by way of such aperture, and the risk increases as the number of such apertures increases.
Accordingly, a need exists for a mounting assembly for mounting one or more antennae or the like to a roof of a vehicle or the like, where the mounting assembly minimizes the number of apertures that must be created within the roof of the vehicle in connection with mounting such antennae to such vehicle.
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned needs by setting forth a mounting assembly for mounting an antenna to a roof of a vehicle. The assembly includes a mounting plate with a mounting pad for mounting the antenna to the mounting plate, and at least one bracket to which the mounting plate is mounted. Each bracket is for being mounted to the roof of the vehicle. Each bracket may be a cross-bracket for extending between stringers on the vehicle or an angle-bracket for being mounted to a vertical surface on the vehicle, for example. The mounting plate and each bracket are each provided with a plurality of regularly spaced slots through which the mounting plate is mounted to the bracket. Each slot in the mounting plate extends for a distance generally along the periphery of the mounting plate, and each slot in each bracket extends for a distance generally longitudinally.